Three illegally excavated quarries have been identified near the city of Balkhash. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
According to the Financial Monitoring Agency, iron and manganese ore were illegally mined near Sayak village. The operation was organized by the director of «Vertex Co.» and «MiningMetall» LLP, but no permits were in place.
«Hired workers and specialized equipment, including excavators, loaders, an ore crushing unit and dump trucks, were involved in developing the deposits. During the inspection, it was found that the topsoil had been stripped over a large area, and three quarries where ore was mined were identified,» agency specialists said.
The extracted ore was delivered to a railway station for export and sale. The total volume of excavated soil reached 338 thousand cubic meters.
According to specialists' estimates, 485 million tenge is required to restore the damaged land and bring the quarries into a condition suitable for reclamation. Currently, with court authorization, two pieces of special equipment, one vehicle and a commercial premises have been seized. A preventive measure in the form of bail has been applied to the suspect. The investigation is ongoing.